February 18, 2015

Sound the conch shell, a new season of Survivor is about to begin! In Survivor's 30th season, the tribes have been split based on their occupations into three tribes: blue collar, white collar, and no collar. It's a twist that's been machinating in Jeff Probst's head and in Probst We Trust. We've got one week until the season premiere which means, of course, winner prediction time. As I do every season, I read all CBS.com bios and watch the videos to predict who I think will win the entire season. My track record sucks, but I keep on doing it because it's fun, gives me someone to route for, and ultimately becomes a running joke for any long-time followers. With that...

MELISSA PREDICTS...

SO will win Survivor: Worlds Apart

In my history of winner predictions, this is one of the hardest and that's because season 30 has assembled an awesome cast. Minus a few duds or annoyances, this cast seems to be full of true Survivor fans that are ready to outwit, outplay, and outlast. Really anything can happen, but I'm going to go with a gut feeling and roll with So.

First off, So's on the White Collar tribe (Masaya) and I think that tribe is going to dominate given a mix of brains and brawn. She looks friendly but backs it with smarts and a desire to win. She always seems more athletic, which is always helpful in case you win challenges. While I'm absolutely in love with Shirin, I'm assuming So is more athletic and likely to be kept around should Masaya lose challenges. Jenn was a player I found similar to So and I liked her a lot, but I didn't see a strategic side to her like I did So. I was so surprised to see Max Dawson on the show, as I've been a Twitter follower of his for years and I know how much he loves Survivor. Max is my typical Survivor pick, but I decided to go against my usual instinct - plus I imagine Max will be a post-merge target, allowing someone like So to be shielded. I will say on the No Collar tribe I could see Joe being a real threat, and Mike on the Blue Collar tribe is a real fan that could persuade the tribe (or be a villain). But after Natalie's dominance of last season, I'm keeping the girl power alive.

Ok guys, time for YOU to cast your vote for your pre-show winner prediction! Who do you think will be Worlds Apart's Sole Survivor? VOTE BELOW - voting closes right when the east coast premiere begins!